


i see you off in the distance

by LSFOREVER



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Christmas is mentioned, Domestic Larry, Fluff, Homemade Hot Chocolate, Liam's there I promise, Light Angst, M/M, Scones, Winter, Writer Zayn, they're important to the story, uni student Niall
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-27
Updated: 2016-03-27
Packaged: 2018-05-28 06:51:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,758
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6318973
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LSFOREVER/pseuds/LSFOREVER
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Zayn finds himself forced into a slightly scary situation. What comes after is by far the best thing to happen to him.</p><p>AU featuring Café owners Louis and Harry, cute but ornery Liam, and fluffy, brunet Niall.</p>
            </blockquote>





	i see you off in the distance

**Author's Note:**

  * For [eyesofshinigami](https://archiveofourown.org/users/eyesofshinigami/gifts).



> This work is an extension (of sorts) to eyesofshinigami's drabble found [here](http://archiveofourown.org/works/5359004/chapters/12376394). It's the fourth in a collection of holiday-themed drabbles, so check the others out too. I meant to post this forever ago but life has been a bit crazy. Hopefully you all can understand. And thank you Leslie for the cute drabble that inspired this alternate pov. I certainly had fun writing this because/for of you!
> 
> Also, thanks [Zoe](http://millionairelouis.tumblr.com/)! You are very much appreciated.  
> Title is taken from [Oasis](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d9O9PUv33vg) by A Great Big World. Very cute song. Please listen to it so we can share the feels. :)
> 
> \- Kat Xx
> 
>  

**i see you off in the distance**

 

There are many different ways Louis has woken Zayn up, all of which Zayn has hated, but this just might be the absolute worst. Not only is there Christmas music blaring—which he absolutely hates—but Louis also decided it would be a good idea to jump on his bed and sing along to the horrid music at the top of his lungs. Zayn resists from kicking out and knocking Louis off the bed, only because of the fact that if he injures Louis he’ll have to help Harry open the bakery. And that’s entirely too much work for four in the morning.

“Fuck off,” he moans, rolling over to shield himself with his blanket from the maniac. Sometimes Zayn wishes he would’ve taken that apartment closer to the campus, those four years ago when they were in their last year, rather than deciding to live next to Louis and Harry. Yes, it was more practical since they both have their own cars that they let Zayn borrow whenever, and it was somehow cheaper and nicer, and it’s closer to the bakery.

But, mornings like this, Zayn regrets giving Louis a key to his flat.

“Zaynie!” Louis crows, jumping hard. He’s mindful enough to keep away from Zayn, thankfully—Zayn doesn’t fancy a broken hand or ankle. “Wake up, dickhead! Harry’s making fresh muffins when we get to the shop and you aren’t going to be slow this morning!”

Groaning, Zayn throws his arm over his face and mumbles curses, low enough that Louis won’t hear. It’s too early for anything at the moment, besides maybe fresh muffins, so Zayn ultimately decides to get up. In five minutes.

“No! Not five minutes. Now!” Louis nudges Zayn’s arse with his cold foot—he’s never been one for socks—and keeps nudging until Harry walks in.

“Lou, quit terrorizing the man. You’ll get your muffins eventually,” Harry says in his sweet morning voice, always one to make sure the closest to him are happy. Zayn is very grateful for him.

“Damn right I will,” Louis quips, smile smug.

Zayn peeks out from under his covers to see Harry’s cheeks pink, and he hides his smile under the covers as Harry forces Louis out of the room. The Christmas music leaves, too.

“Come on,” Harry says, softer, shaking Zayn’s shoulder. “Get up in a few, yeah?”

“Do I have to?” Already knowing the answer, Zayn sits up anyway, rubbing his eyes and wincing at the cold air that hits his bare chest. He should start remembering to bring the space heater in here every night. “Do I at least have time to shower?”

Harry chuckles, squeezing Zayn’s shoulder again before walking back to the door. “Woke you up earlier so you would. Niall’s coming in today and we can’t have you smelling like rubbish, can we?”

Zayn only manages a small glare in his direction before Harry is chuckling and walking out. The sound of his flat door clicking shut has Zayn sighing into the still air of his flat. He could really use some fresh air right now, but it’s too cold to open the window.

Also, the faster Zayn gets ready, the faster they can leave. He’s really looking forward to seeing Niall today.

-

See, the thing is, Zayn might have a little bit of a creepy obsession with the brunet uni kid that comes in. For a few months straight now, the kid has been showing up primarily on Tuesdays and Fridays, sometimes random visits in between, and orders the same thing—a cup of hot chocolate and a cranberry scone. He sits at the same table every time, picking away at his scone as he flips through textbook after textbook.

He always looks so focused on what he’s reading or doing, which Zayn admires a lot. And he’s also got this adorable frowny face that reminds Zayn of himself when he was in his first year of uni. He’s got the brightest eyes (of which Harry has argued about, but Zayn isn’t madly in love with Louis so he obviously doesn’t agree) and this crooked smile whenever Harry or Louis hands over the steaming hot chocolate.

And those brown tufts on the top of his head, lighter at the ends like maybe he dyed it blond at one point, are just long enough for Zayn to want to card his fingers through.

For someone who’s never been attracted to another person without knowing them personally beforehand, Zayn has found his fixation on Niall more than a bit odd. He’s gotten over trying to deny or hide it—in front of Harry and Louis, that is, because they already know. Plus, it’s nice to be able to sit at the very end of the counter, next to the far wall, and watch the kid over the rim of his mug without panicking a little inside.

For almost three months now, Zayn has been losing precious sleep in order to help open shop, just so he can hide away in the corner and pretend to not watch the lad obsess over his coursework before lunch rush. Louis says he’s stupid and idiotic for never actually introducing himself to the lad, and Harry just gives him these sympathetic eyes that somehow makes Zayn feel a little better about himself.

He thinks the kid is attractive, and that’s it. There really isn’t a reason to introduce himself, especially since Niall is most likely one of those typical uni lads who prefer younger, college girls. Not older, unsuccessful writers. And once winter hols come and exams are over, Niall will probably forget this place exists anyway, and Zayn will finally be able to focus on his writing. So there’s no point, really.

-

After being promised two muffins instead of one, all the cinnamon butter he wants, and hot coffee, Zayn finally agrees to run the till for the morning so Louis can go over all the paperwork and Harry can run the kitchen. Usually the paperwork only takes around fifteen minutes, but Louis has to put all the week’s paperwork together and do inventory and all that stuff Zayn stays away from.

He’s usually begged into helping them at least once a week for this exact reason, with fresh food as his only payment, but Zayn doesn’t mind. He loves the atmosphere here at the bakery, and sometimes he’s able to sit with his notepad and pencil and watch all the customers sitting around, imagine their back stories. It’s a great way to be inspired, especially if Zayn has a case of writer’s block.

Lately, though, the only things he’s been able to write about are blue eyes and once-blond hair and Irish flag jumpers. That’s not necessarily a problem, per say, but it will be if he can’t get to writing on the story he’s already been working on for a year.

As it is, Zayn busies himself with serving the early bird customers, keeping the lobby clean, and making sure the display cases stay full, just until the only actual employee Louis and Harry have on staff arrives at eleven. Liam is early, like always, and takes over right away. It means Zayn is huddled to his spot pretty quickly, eyes on the door.

It’s only a few minutes later when Niall comes bustling in, heavy-looking bag slung over his shoulder and smile bright on his face. Louis just so happens to be walking out of the back, laptop in hands, and he crows out Niall’s name. “I got ‘im, Li,” he says to Liam, who shrugs and goes to clean a table near the front. Louis sets his laptop in front of Zayn, before going to lean over the counter and bump fists with the Irish lad.

There’s a spreadsheet with lots of numbers up on the screen. It kind of hurts Zayn’s eyes, who hasn’t been in a single math class since his second year of uni. He knows Louis wants him to check over and make sure all the numbers add up—Harry’s probably covered in flower, or otherwise he’d be doing it—so Zayn pretends to focus on the screen in front of him.

It wouldn’t take a blind dog to know he’s more interested in the conversation going on in front of him.

Niall is talking about whatever classes he’s in, how dead week is next week and he has to start studying now, and Louis offers him a free mug of hot chocolate and scone. “For being such a loyal customer these past months. You’re going to take it and go sit next to the heater like you usually do and not argue, alright?”

Niall rolls his eyes but he takes the mug anyway, dropping the money he would’ve used for the drink and pastry in the tip jar, before making his way over to his usual table. He looks so warm a cuddly in that Arsenal jumper, black beanie, and gloves to match.

Zayn wistfully turns back to the laptop screen, eyes running over the hundreds of numbers and words that barely mean anything to him. “Looks alright, I guess,” Zayn mumbles, seeing Louis move next to him out of the corner of his eye. “You got the math right where it needs to be.”

“Good,” Louis replies, snatching up the laptop. Before he disappears in the back again, though, he leans down and whispers in Zayn’s ear, “Next time you’re serving him or actually talking to him or something, or I swear to god I will never let you set foot in here again.”

And with that he slips into the back, just as Liam is coming back from sweeping. “Alright?” he asks Zayn.

Zayn nods, offering Liam a smile. He’s an alright lad, and if he wasn’t already engaged to a lovely girl named Emily, then Zayn probably would’ve tried flirting with him a little. If only to get his mind off the cutie sitting next to the heater, whose cheeks are red from the steam of the hot chocolate.

Tearing his eyes away, Zayn focuses on the blank notepad in front of him. “Got any ideas for me?” he asks quietly, knowing Liam is still standing there.

Liam lifts a hand to squeeze Zayn’s shoulder. His tone indicates that he knows exactly why Zayn is trying to distract himself—and yeah, Liam might know of Zayn’s crush too, but that’s neither here nor there—as he says, “Could write about a lonely, pining writer to never lets himself find happiness.”

He’s too tired to correct Liam. Instead, Zayn writes ‘The Annoying Employee Who Won’t Leave Me The Fuck Alone’ across the top of the paper.

Liam chuckles as he walks away.

-

Zayn has always hated Christmas music—okay, maybe not always, but he has for a pretty long time. It most likely start back in college, after his dad left and Christmas started becoming less of a fun holiday and more of an obligation to make his sisters happy as possible. Zayn doesn’t know when, exactly, but he does know that he definitely hated Christmas music back when he first met Louis and Harry, and he still does now.

It doesn’t help that Harry and Louis both know this, have for the longest time, yet they still insists on playing it in the bakery every day, all the time. They at least wait for December to start before they start playing the dreaded music, sneaking more and more songs slowly into their playlists, until the only music ever playing is the shit.

The only time Zayn has ever been able to tolerate Christmas music is the Mean Girls’ version of Jingle Bell Rock.

It really shouldn’t come as a surprise to him when he looks up one Tuesday, three weeks before Christmas, to see Niall decked out in a bright red and green ugly sweater, a red-nosed reindeer sticking out from the front, nose lit up as Christmas jingles play from the head and Niall hums along with it. It’s a hideous sight; Zayn cringes immediately, but Niall’s eyes are bright and there’s a kick in his step, like he doesn’t care about the heavy and overfilled backpack weighing down his shoulders.

“Harry! Louis!” he singsongs along with whatever jingle is playing, and Zayn’s stomach drops a little. Niall is so beautiful. Niall doesn’t seem to notice him—he never does—as he leans over the counter and peers through the doorway into the kitchen.

Liam comes out and smiles when he recognizes who it is. “Harry’s coming in a sec,” he says, already reaching for a mug. “How’s it going?”

“Final exams are next week so very stressful,” Niall says with a frown, shifting the bag on his shoulders. Zayn wants to reach out and take it from him, save those bony shoulders from any more strain, but he stays quiet and put and continues to stare over the top of his laptop. “But,” he continues, “Da sent in some extra money, so.”

“And that obviously means spending it all on the tube just to come here, right?” Liam teases.

Niall rolls his eyes like it’s the most obvious thing ever. “Obviously,” he scoffs, watching Liam drop some of Harry’s homemade, heart-shaped marshmallows in the steaming liquid with hungry eyes. Zayn bites his lip.

“Niall! My man!” Louis crows as he comes out from the kitchen, covered in flour and sprinkles. “Don’t mind the mess, Harry’s actually letting me bake.”

“Just this once,” Harry adds on as he comes out, too, wiping his hands on his apron. “And I promise it’s not your scones, so don’t worry about food poisoning or anything, Ni.”

“Oi!” Louis smacks Harry’s chest, though he’s smiling, and everybody chuckles.

Even Zayn, though he keeps his silent as possible.

“Good thing.” Niall winks at Louis, who rolls his eyes in amusement. Then he takes the mug from Liam as fast as possible without spilling it, immediately taking a drink. “Mm. Delicious, as always,” he comments, “And here.”

Both Louis and Harry tell Niall to put his wallet away. Zayn smiles to himself at how nice they are to the uni lad. “You’re one of our most loyal customers. I’m not going to make you pay. At least not until winter hols are over.”

“You guys are too nice to me,” Niall claims, but he doesn’t argue. He just smiles as he takes the plate with the cranberry scone from Liam. Before he leaves for his usual table, though, he turns back and says, “I might just make you both some ugly sweaters for being so kind. Uglier than this one!”

Chuckling, Harry slips his arm around Louis’ waist and replies, “That would be lovely. This one here always insists on wearing the ugliest jumper he can on Christmas eve.”

“If it’s half as bad as yours,” Louis chimes in, eyeing the reindeer head poking out in the middle with a smile, “then I will definitely enjoy it.”

“Good. Thank you again.” Niall waves, then heads over to his table, the off-tune sound of Jingle Bells getting quieter and quieter, until Niall presses the nose on the reindeer and it stops all together. Zayn is half thankful and half disappointed. He liked listening to Niall hum along with the music on his way in. But, Niall does have to focus, most likely studying for an exam.

Zayn is startled out of his staring contest with the side of Niall’s head when Harry pops in front of him, letting Louis and Liam file into the back again. “One of these days he’s going to notice you staring and think you’re being creepy. So either stop staring or actually talk to him.” Though his words are a little harsh, his tone is soft and so is his smile as he slips into the kitchen.

So, yeah. Zayn hates Christmas music and he hates his friends. But, like, he doesn’t actually hate them. He just hates that they are always right.

-

It’s Sunday and usually Zayn would be asleep, recovering from his long Saturday night shift at the bar (he only picks up shifts for Perrie if she absolutely needs him to), but Louis convinced him to come to the bakery. “Gemma’s in town today. You love seeing her,” was his excuse, which is true. Zayn does like when Gemma visits because she’s deeper-minded like he is. She understand a lot of the same things as him that the others don’t, views a lot of the same things the same way, and never questions Zayn’s logic. It’s nice, having someone around that he can relate with so much.

So Zayn promises to stop by later after he gets a few more hours of sleep—“Two hours are not enough, Lou, let me sleep!”—and does just that. He showers away the smell of bartender that always sticks to him after a shift, puts on his glasses, then makes his way to the bakery right after the lunch rush should be ending. There are still a few people milling around, mostly uni students with textbooks and laptops.

It doesn’t take long to find Gemma at all, not with that blue hair. “Damn, Gem, you really went all out,” he compliments her as they’re hugging.

“I sure did. Took three boxes to get the hair dye to spread all the way, but it was worth it. And,” she adds after pulling away, “I see you’ve gotten your nose pierced. It hasn’t been that long, has it?”

“Only since August,” Zayn answers.

“Ah. So it has been quite a while. Sorry sweetie.” She moves to the side so Zayn does too, only to see Liam walking by so he can help a customer. When they’re in the corner Zayn usually sits in, he pulls out his laptop. She eyes it, then asks, “How’s it going?” quietly.

All he has to do it sigh and Gemma gets it instantly. She settles a hand on his arm and gives him a warm smile. Not the kind that Harry or Louis or Liam will give him, full of pity and sympathy, but a real smile that warms Zayn’s heart. He’s always admired Gemma’s ability to understand him.

“Harry’s mentioned something about a boy, once or twice, I think.” Gemma covers Zayn’s hand with her own, eyes concerned. “I know distractions can be hard, but you can’t let a crush get in the way of your writing.”

“I’m not—he’s not getting in the way of my writing,” Zayn insists, “I know him, haven’t even met him yet. It’s not—” The look Gemma gives Zayn stops him, and he groans into his hands. “First noticed him regularly coming here in September. Late, I think. It’s been downhill since.” And just like that, she’s managed to get him to spill without even trying to.

As she’s nodding, Zayn pulls up his current chapter he’s been stuck on. It’s nothing in particular that he’s stuck on—he’s just stuck, and it sucks. Gemma eyes the document for a second, before shutting Zayn’s laptop and pulling him in for another hug. “It’ll come to you,” she whispers, “You just can’t sit around waiting for it.”

“I know,” Zayn sighs out.

She smells like her and Harry’s childhood home in Holmes Chapel, where’s she’s been staying the past couple of months with Anne and Robin. Ever since Robin fractured his ankle in a few spots back in October and business has picked up at the bakery as the weather gets colder, Gemma’s been staying at home to help around the house. It’s sweet of her, Zayn thinks, and he knows it’s something he would definitely do for his mum if she needed it.

After a few minutes, she pulls back and rubs up and down his arms. “You’re cold,” she comments with a slight frown. She stands and pulls Zayn with her, dragging Zayn over to Niall’s table—it’s empty; also, Zayn should probably stop referring to this table as Niall’s, since he shouldn’t even know the lad’s name, never having met him before. “Sit,” she commands, wrapping her scarf around Zayn’s neck. “And stalk famous people on Twitter or something. Take your mind off things for a bit, yeah? When I get back we’re talking about this boy, alright?”

Zayn nods, smiling up as her as he takes his phone out. She smiles at him, then walks into the kitchen, presumably to talk to Harry or Louis or both.

And Zayn does as told. He does need a bit of a distraction, and it’s been awake since he’s been on Twitter. The small following of people he’s gained from the short stories he used to post on several websites has since grown, but only by a little. A few hundred followers isn’t much at all, compared to what Zayn would like to have, but it’s enough for now.

He takes a picture of the empty table in front of him, setting it to a black and white filter and tweeting it. He’s a bit surprised that he gets notifications right away, just a few people who repost his picture. He hasn’t checked the read count or feedback on his stories in a long time. Maybe if he did he’d be more inspired to write…

There’s no reason for Zayn to, since he hasn’t every other time it’s happened, but when the bell above the door rings this particular time, Zayn glances up. He really shouldn’t have, because Niall is standing there. He has his heavy bag with him, like always, and there’s dark circles under his eyes. He’s not even looking in Zayn’s direction, which isn’t surprising, as he makes his way to the counter. Louis walks out after a minute, probably having heard the bell, and smiles when he sees the Irish lad.

“Hey Lou,” Niall greets. From all the way over here, Zayn can barely make out what they are saying. He can see Niall watching Louis prepare his hot chocolate with rapt eyes, though. Cute.

Louis greets Niall back, then must ask about his classes or something along those lines, since Niall shifts the bag and says something about it being heavier than usual. “… hell, but I’ll be alright, I think.”

Their exchange is short, and it’s then that Zayn realizes he’s still at Niall’s table. He panics for a second; he should’ve gotten up and snuck off to the bathroom or something as soon as Niall came in, but as it is, Niall is holding his mug and plate and turning. Alarmed, Zayn’s eyes flick towards Louis, who is already looking back with a determined, hard gaze.

Zayn shrinks a little in his seat. So Louis won’t help him. Great.

It’s already too late, because Niall’s already seen him. He steps closer to the table, but Zayn keeps his eyes on the table in front of him. A few moments, after Niall has been standing still and silent in front of him, Zayn looks up with the best smile he can muster.

And he almost laughs.

Niall is standing there, holding his treats in front of him, eyes wide and mouth hanging open. Louis would call in a knob if he saw him at the current moment. He’s silent, and Zayn doesn’t know how to take his reaction; is it good or bad? He doesn’t know, so he says, “Hi there,” in the smoothest voice he can.

Niall’s response it to blurt, “You’re at my table.” Zayn has a feeling he would smack himself, if his hands weren’t full.

And then he freaks out for a second. Why is he sitting at Niall’s table? “Sorry? This table was just closest to the heater. I can move—”

But Niall interrupts him with, “No!” He turns the reddest Zayn has ever seen him, bites his lip probably without knowing he’s doing it. It kind of drives Zayn crazy, who manages to stutter out, “No, we can share. If you don't mind, that is. Um.” He promptly sits down after that, across from Zayn, still blushing like mad.

“That would be perfect, actually,” Zayn murmurs, not really sure if what he’s saying is right. “I could use the company. I'm Zayn.” Zayn glances down at the stack of books Niall has dumped onto the table, after digging through his bag. It’s the first time he’s become aware of what Niall is studying. “A business major?” he asks, “How fancy.”

He startles Zayn a little when he answers in a squeaky voice, “Yeah.” About to ask if he’s alright, Zayn is cut off by Niall clearing his throat and saying, “I'm Niall. Nice to meet you.” His smile is brighter than it has been and blush gone, like he’s gained more control of himself.

Zayn smiles at that. He’s the one affecting Niall like this. It’s a nice feeling. “I know. I've seen you in here before. You're always so bright, it's hard to miss you.” He clamps his mouth shut after that sentence, though he tries to keep the bright smile so Niall doesn’t notice his nervousness.

The surprised look that crosses Niall’s face puts Zayn’s nerves on edge even more, but then Niall mumbles, “Um, not sure how I missed you. You're clearly the prettiest human on the planet.” Zayn’s breath catches in his throat, and his heart flutters when Niall bites his lip after he’s done talking. “Do... do you want to share my hot chocolate with me? It's the best in London.”

Zayn almost laughs. He already knows it’s the best in London, but he won’t say that out loud. Not now, anyway. Instead, he smiles and replied, “Sure, I would love to.”

It’s only a few minutes later, after Zayn has internally freaked out twice already from getting to share a mug with Niall, while Niall is in the middle of asking a question, that Harry rushes out of the kitchen and stops dead in his tracks. Zayn looks up, seeing the movement in the corner of his eyes, to see Harry staring at them with wide eyes, jaw dropped.

He raises an eyebrow at Zayn, who shrugs the smallest bit and turns his attention back to Niall. “Sorry, what was that?” he asks in the politest voice he can.

“Right, yeah. I was just asking how you already knew who I was? Like, obviously I don’t care. Someone with a jawline like yours knowing me and still wanting to talk to me—anyway.” Niall squirms, flustered again, as he picks off the scone. Usually by now he would’ve swallowed the thing in two bites, but he’s being very polite, leaving a lot of it for Zayn. “Just want to know how you already knew me.”

“You can eat that. I usually get the leftovers at the end of the day,” Zayn says while pushing the plate to Niall’s side of the table. “And I’m Harry and Louis’ next door neighbor. Good friend since uni, and all that. I’m usually sitting in that back corner of the counter, whenever you come in.” Zayn points to where, and recognition fills Niall’s eyes.

“You’re always so hidden. I mean, I guess I’ve registered you being there before, but I never paid attention because it’s darker and colder over there. Wow, I really need to pay more attention.”

Zayn chuckles and shrugs. “Nobody notices me over there unless they’re an angry customer. I’m usually hidden by my laptop anyway.”

“Well I definitely won’t not notice you anymore,” Niall assures him, to which Zayn manages to stifle a big smile. He doesn’t want to look like an idiot. “If you knew who I was and thought I was bright, why’d you not talk to me before?”

Zayn opens his mouth to answer, about to make something up something stupid, but then he decides to just be truthful. “I’ve actually been sort of watching you since you started regularly showing up in September,” he admits, staring down at the empty mug between them. His eyes catch on the text books, though, and then he frowns. “Don’t exams start tomorrow or Tuesday or something? You should be studying.”

Niall’s eyebrows are furrowed, his hands twitching on top of the table. “I should be, yeah, but a bit of a break is alright. You’ve been watching me since September?”

Thankfully Gemma walks up then, eyes bright but also calculating as she looks between Zayn and Niall. She sets down a new mug, takes the old, then walks away as if nothing happened.

“Harry’s sister,” Zayn answers after seeing the confused look on Niall’s face. “And… yeah.” He bites his lip and scrubs his face with both hands, eyes fixed on the table. “Sorry, I don’t want to sound like a huge creep or anything. You’re always just so happy and bright, even though it’s obvious you’re stressing, most likely over coursework, and that just. I don’t know.” Zayn shrugs. He finally looks up. “It’s impressing, to be honest. I’m the biggest dick ever when I’m running on no sleep and miss a deadline. I don’t know how Lou and Haz put up with me. And it just amazes me how you always seem so happy and cheerful whenever you come here.” After his little rant (which honestly surprises Zayn himself because he’s never explicitly thought this to himself before, but his obsession with Niall’s bright smile makes more sense now) Zayn quirks his lips into a nervous smile.

Niall is quiet for a moment, eyes calculating, before one of those dazzling smiles comes out. His eyes scan over the bakery, over the display case full of delicious treats and the few other people who seem content, then they narrow back in on Zayn. “I love it here,” he says with a shrug. “Harry and Louis are always so nice, and it’s quiet and warm and, and calm in here. I can actually get work done here, compared to the loud dorms. I love coming here. It makes the stressful coursework seem a lot easier.”

“That’s very admirable. I don’t think I have a place like that, where I can just go and feel calm and write without stressing over it. Nothing’s ever stuck out like that for me. Except for maybe my room, but even the bare walls there get boring sometimes.”

Niall nods along and after sipping some more of the hot chocolate and sliding it across the table to Zayn, he says, “Yeah. I can imagine it’d get boring pretty fast. You should start going around different places. Like, maybe that small library down the street, or there’s this book store close to where my dorms are that’s pretty cozy.”

The fact that Niall is suggesting places, trying to help Zayn with something he’s never even thought about before, is very nice. Zayn’s smiling harder than before, and he bites his lip to pull it back a little. “I’ll have to check it out sometime,” he replies, “Thank you. But, really—” he motions towards the stack of textbooks, “—You should get to studying. I don’t want to keep you any longer.”

“Fine, but I want to be able to text you after exams are over. Which should be Wednesday, by the way.”

“I’m not leaving,” Zayn replies, “Was probably going to see if Harry or Louis needed any help. But maybe we can grab a bite to eat later?” He doesn’t know where the sudden confidence to ask Niall out came from, but Zayn isn’t complaining. Especially when Niall’s eyes brighten and his dazzling smile pops out.

“Definitely. I just have a review guide to finish, which shouldn’t take long. I guess if you’re in the kitchen or something I can text you when I’m done?”

Niall is looking at Zayn with wide eyes, looking almost pleading. “I’ll stay here, as long as I’m not a distraction.”

“You might have to hide in the kitchen for a bit, then,” Niall says with a smile, cheeks blushing again. “You’re too pretty for me to not look at.”

Zayn feels his own face heating up, but he doesn’t care in the slightest. Niall thinks he’s pretty, has said so twice now. “Alright, yeah. I’ll go bug Harry or his sister or something.” Zayn chuckles, knowing that he’ll be bombarded with questions the moment he passes through the doorway. He won’t be the one bothering others. “Focus, though. I’m hungry.”

“Will do,” Niall quips, showing his teeth in yet another beautiful smile that leaves Zayn a little queasy as he takes the empty plate and mug up to the counter.

Oh goodness. He almost can’t believe that just happened, but when he chances a glance but behind himself only to catch Niall staring at his bum, Zayn blushes and smiles to himself and scurries off to the kitchen. He doesn’t even care about the three mouths trying to talk to him at once and the still calculating eyes half hidden by blue hair standing not too far away.

He may not have gotten enough sleep, but already today’s been the best in a very long time.

It doesn’t take long at all for Niall to finish his review guide, and both Harry and Louis manage to make Niall blush when he follows Zayn outside. Zayn wants to yell at them. Later, though.

They grab some pizza from this pub not too far, mainly because it’s cold, it’s a short walk, and neither Zayn or Niall have their own cars. Niall walks close to Zayn’s side, their shoulders brushing with every step, and he keeps conversation going, thankfully distracting Zayn from the fact that he forgot his scarf in the bakery.

Zayn doesn’t eat pizza often, opting for Chinese or leftovers from Harry and Louis’ fridge. But when he does, he goes all out. The extra toppings expense doesn’t even matter, nor does the disgusted look on Niall’s face when he lists off three different veggies, as well as light sauce, extra cheese, and bacon on only half the pizza. “I’m taking most of it home to Haz and Lou anyway,” he explains after Niall orders his own few slices and they go to find a table.

“You can’t order for yourself?” Niall asks as they sit in a booth on the second level. Zayn’s never actually been inside here, but it smells delicious and he thinks the second floor-balcony-whatever-it-is is pretty cool.

“I’ll eat whatever, besides pork, obviously. And I don’t like beef on my pizza, so. Veggies it is for me.” Zayn shrugs and smiles, sipping at his coke.

Niall still has an eyebrow raised, but a smile slowly spreads across his face. “So there’s no way in hell I’ll get you to try what I got?”

Zayn snorts. “The first topping you said was pepperoni. Even if I could eat pork, I wouldn’t eat that shit. It’s so greasy. And nasty.” He shrugs again when Niall’s jaw drops and continues to sip at his coke. “And I’m pretty sure you said mushrooms, which are just as gross, in my opinion.”

“So you’ll eat corn and green peppers and black olives, but not mushrooms? You’re so weird.”

“You eat mushrooms and jalapeños and onions and pepperonis on the same pizza. That’s weird.”

Niall’s smiling, and Zayn wonders for a second if they’re flirting over pizza. Pizza. He smiles back, then sits on his hand to keep himself from texting Gemma.

They eat in relative silence, Niall doing a little jig in his seat when Haddaway’s What is Love comes on the restaurant’s radio, making Zayn giggle and almost choke on a bite of crust. Niall steals sips from Zayn’s lemonade, eyes smug after each time like he’s managed to get away with it—Zayn lets him think he has, until he lifts his cup when he’s finished a second slice and finds it empty.

Shaking the ice around inside it, he gives Niall pointed look. “You have your own, you know,” he comments, snatching up Niall’s cup before Niall can defend it. He gulps some down, only grimacing a little at the taste of the sweet soda.

“I’ve never had their lemonade here. It’s better than I thought it would be,” Niall says with a shrug. His eyes sparkle with something as he takes back his cup, drinking down the rest of it. After Zayn’s stomach does a couple flips (he still can’t believe he’s actually out to lunch with Niall), and Niall eats the last bite of his third slice, Niall says, “You ready to go then?”

“Yeah,” Zayn says with a nod, even though he secretly wishes they could stay here and continue their lunch. He doesn’t want Niall to leave back for his flat or a class or wherever he needs to be, but he can’t say that. It would seem selfish.

Zayn is watching as Niall walks back from the front counter with two take out boxes. “Thanks,” he mumbles as he takes one, then proceeds to put what he didn’t eat inside as fast as he can. If it’s so he can watch Niall struggle to get his box closed with those small fingers, so be it. That’s for him and his mind only.

He does, however, become amused after Niall still hasn’t managed to get the box closed after more than a few tries. “Here,” he says, reaching across the table to do it for him. Niall lets him, but doesn’t pull away so their fingers brush every second. Zayn feels himself grow warm, keeps his eyes on the task, and closes the box on the first try. “There.”

“Thank you,” Niall whispers, smiling small at Zayn. Niall is like Louis—in this situation he’d be a sarcastic shit to Zayn for the rest of the day for helping him with something so simple—but at the moment he’s quiet and smiling. Zayn finds him so endearing, it’s probably not healthy.

Or something.

Niall’s phone pings in his pocket, pulling his eyes away from Zayn and breaking the moment. Zayn checks his own phone, ignoring both the texts from Louis and Harry, and only replying to Gemma’s question marks with a heart eyes emoji.

“Shit.” Zayn looks up and sees Niall frowning at his phone. When Niall looks up, he’s still frowning. “I’ve gotta go. One of my housemates twisted his ankle and broke my lamp in the process.”

“Wha…” Zayn’s eyebrows burrow. Oh the life of a uni student. He sometimes wishes he could go back, if just for the naïvety of how the  real world works, or maybe how easy it was for Zayn’s writing to be read and complimented. (And no, Harry and Louis and Liam don’t count, Zayn reminds himself).

Niall shrugs, looking confused as well. “I don’t know. Probably drunk or something. He’s never not drinking, especially around winter hols.”

“That’s understandable, I guess,” Zayn replies, standing with Niall. They bundle up and walk close together as they make their way outside. “I’m going back to the bakery,” Zayn says once they’re out on the sidewalk, facing each other. “Are you taking the tube back? Or…”

“Yeah,” answers Niall, pointing behind himself at the stop down the street. “That’s how I usually get here and back.” And before Zayn can say goodbye, Niall’s pulling out his phone and handing it over. “You should come to the library with me sometime, that one I told you about down the street. It’s small and cozy. I think you’ll like it.”

Zayn continues to stare at Niall in awe, probably looking like a class A knob but not caring. Is Niall asking him out? Zayn doesn’t think he’s ever heard of a library date before, but it does sound like it could be fun. Sneaking hot chocolate and sweets in, slipping around the different aisles in a silent game of hide and seek, finding a deserted table in the back somewhere to study and write at together.

Niall snaps his fingers in front of Zayn’s eyes, smirking amusedly at him. “You gonna put your number in there?”

“Yeah,” Zayn mumbles, shaking his head a bit before saving his number in Niall’s phone. After texting his own phone and handing Niall’s back, he shyly looks back up, fingers scratching the back of his neck. “I’m, um, free. Like, all the time basically. So. Whenever you are…”

“All the time? You don’t work?” Niall raises an eyebrow, clearly amused by Zayn’s stuttering.

Zayn’s reminded of the fact that, no, he doesn’t have a steady paying job. Harry or Louis will sometimes slip some cash into his wallet if he helps on a particularly busy night at the bakery. Sometimes his mum will wire some money to him if she feels like he needs it, but otherwise he’s been living off his savings for the past year after one of his short stories was used as inspiration for an Australian band’s music video. He still wakes up to find a little more in his savings account some mornings, whether it be someone buying an eBook copy of his story, among other small things.

But it’s been since then that he’s had any real success in the job field. He’s been trying, he has, to finish the novel he’s been working on. There are a couple of companies that email him every so often, offering him deals for anything he may have ready. But he’s never been too interested in any of those deals. Yes, he has other short stories that are finished but have never seen the light of day, but for some reason Zayn doesn’t want to reveal anything until his novel is done.

The problem there is that he hasn’t had inspiration for it in so long. He’s been writing the third to last chapter for the past two months, which is complete shit, since it usually only takes him two or three weeks to finish a chapter and be happy with it. It’s something Zayn knows he needs to fix, and soon, or otherwise he’ll have to find a real job in order to stay where he is.

Niall must’ve figured out he hit a sore spot (not so much a sore spot as Zayn hating himself for not being able to finish the damn book) because his hand wraps around Zayn’s wrist, eyes soft and worried as he squeezes softly and brings Zayn out of his thoughts. “Sorry for asking. That’s a bit too personal to ask someone I just met.”

“No, no. It’s alright,” Zayn says, more to himself than to Niall. He shakes his head, chuckling at himself a bit deeply. “It’s a perfectly normal question to ask someone. Besides writing, I don’t really do anything else, besides help with the bakery. So. Unless I suddenly get inspiration to write, I’m pretty much free.”

Though Niall still looks guilty, he nods, waving his phone as he takes a step back. “Alright, then. I’ll text. Probably sometime after my last exam on Thursday.”

“I’m already looking forward to it.” Zayn surprises himself again with what he says, but Niall’s blinding smile distracts him from freaking out. “Bye,” says Zayn quietly, waving back at Niall and taking a moment to watch his retreating back.

Zayn takes a moment to compose himself, then he starts walking back to the bakery. He only spends a couple seconds there, slipping in undetected to grab his laptop bag from behind the counter. Harry’s talking to a small group of customers by the heater, his back turned towards Zayn, and Gemma and Louis are nowhere to be seen. He’s in and out in a second, and he doesn’t manage to take a deep breath to calm his racing heart until the door of his flat is locked behind himself.

It takes a couple moments for him to kick his shoes off and hang his coat and scarf up, but then he’s running to his bedroom, turning on the fairy lights strung up around his bed posts as well as the space heater. He plugs his laptop into the charger, pulling up a blank Word Doc and typing away. He doesn’t know why, but his fingers itch for the keyboard.

He may not be able to add more the dreaded chapter he’s on, but he can start the chapter over. It’s a technique that his old writing instructor from uni taught him (“If you’re too stuck, start over. You may hate the new version, but it’ll at least get you to writing.”) and though Zayn’s never been fond of the technique, he’s dying to get words out. After reading the short outline of plans he has for the chapter, Zayn starts writing, pushing the original version out of his mind.

It’s only a couple hours later, after a bathroom and tea break, that Zayn has managed to pass the part he was stuck on in the previous version. He feels like he’s accomplished a lot today. More than he has in the past month, that’s for sure. He’s half excited for when Louis and Harry get home to show them his progress, while also half nervous.

One of them will give him shit and say he’s inspired by Niall, or just shit in general for the whole Niall thing today. And Zayn would like to bask in the glory of actually getting something done, even if just until tomorrow.

His fingers are cramping, it’s starting to get dark outside, and his stomach growls, so Zayn double— _triple_ saves the document, just to be sure, before heading out to the kitchen. There’s four texts on his phone from where he left it on the counter, but he locks his phone again in favor of some fresh brewed tea. They can wait until later.

-

As promised, Niall does text Thursday night, after Zayn gets home from helping out at the bakery for the day.

He’s managed to write a little more every day this past week, and he’s almost finished with it. The feeling is incredible, and Louis and Harry both, as well as Gemma before she left Monday night, keep telling him how proud they are. Zayn shouldn’t feel giddy about being treated like a kid learning a new instrument, but he does and he doesn’t care about the fact. He’s proud of himself and he’s happy his friends are proud of him as well.

Radio silence this whole week from Niall has sucked, but the first text he sends Thursday night, all caps, about how exams went great and he’s going out to celebrate with friends, makes up for it. As well as the one right after inviting Zayn out with him.

 _Wish i could but i’m on a writing binge_ , he sends back almost instantly. It’s a lie; he’s currently sitting between Harry and Louis on the sofa in their living room, Skyfall on the TV in front of them and some leftover strawberry and chocolate chip cookies on the plate in his lap. Harry’s eyes are glued to the TV screen while Louis is texting whoever.

And it’s not that he doesn’t want to hang out with Niall. He really does, already missing that smile. But he’s really not up for a night out clubbing, hasn’t been in almost a year, and he doesn’t think he’d be quite comfortable around so many new people. Maybe if Harry and Louis were going. But he’s only known Niall a short while and doesn’t know Niall’s friends at all. That type of setting would definitely be uncomfortable to him.

 _aw boo !_ , Niall replies, and then again a second later, _well maybe tomorrow . i might b a bit hungover but ill deffo bring u to that library if u want . definitely  write tho thats v important :)_

Zayn smiles to himself, sending back that he’s free whenever with a thumbs up emoji, and then turning his attention back to the movie. It’s quite loud, but Zayn is too lazy to get the remote from the coffee table to turn it down. Instead, he snatches up another cookie and snuggles further into Louis’ side, tucking his feet under Harry’s thighs. They both accommodate easily, not even looking at Zayn as they shift to be comfortable as well.

Though he’d rather be in Niall’s presence, he’s warm and content between his two best mates. That’s good enough, he thinks, as he focuses on the intense scene in front of him.

-

Niall texts Zayn the address an hour before their set time.

Zayn’s at the bakery already, having been reading over what he has so far on the current chapter and making notes on things he wants to expand on. The library is only a block away, so Zayn is able to read through what he has, edit anything he needs/wants to, and make notes before he needs to head out.

He says bye to Louis, who is cleaning out part of one of the display cases that was destroyed by some gooey pastries that fell, then packs everything in his laptop bag and heads out. The walk doesn’t take very long at all. Zayn is able to see the library from down the block, it being a bit taller than the rest of the buildings. It looks bigger than Niall made it out to be, but once he steps inside he gets why Niall loves it so much.

It’s warm, even in the front lobby, and it smells and feels warm, homey, in a sense. It’s quiet, as well, Zayn only able to hear the low murmuring of the checkout desk on the other side of the lobby.

He takes a few more steps inside, still looking around at the paintings hung on the walls made of bricks, then makes his way towards the free bench. He can see the doors to outside so he’ll know when Niall comes in.

He takes his phone out, pulling up his and Niall’s messages to send, _i’m here_.

A second later, Niall responds with a thumbs up emoji, saying he’ll be there in a few, so Zayn gets comfortable with his piano tiles game, on mute, of course.

He’s startled a second later, only a few tiles in to his game, when Niall plops down on the bench beside him. “Surprise,” he whispers, big smile blinding and making Zayn’s stomach flip. There are circles under his eyes and he looks tired, definitely still exhausted from the week and the night out. His hair is hiding under a soft looking beanie that Zayn kind of wants to steal.

Zayn smiles back, pocketing his phone. “Hi,” he whispers back, revelling in how Niall leans closer.

“Come on,” Niall says, pulling Zayn up from the bench. Zayn doesn’t question him, following without a word.

It probably has to do with the fact that Niall is currently holding his hand right now, but Zayn doesn’t dwell on that thought too long. Instead, he stays quiet, eyes gazing over everything they pass—the children’s section which is enclosed with doors, probably to keep the rest of the library quiet, and the computer room that is nearly empty, as well as the fiction and nonfiction sections.

Niall doesn’t stop until they’re in front of a door, which he pushes through easily, and then they’re in a small, confined space. There’s a table lining the wall to the right, and then behind the door is a comfortable looking couch. There are plug ins all around the walls, as well as a radio sitting on the table in the corner.

It’s a small, but cozy space. Small enough that when Niall closes the door behind them, Zayn almost panics—they’re alone. Together. In a small room. Niall is done with classes, should probably be getting ready to leave for home for winter hols, yet he’s here with only his phone and a bright smile, with Zayn, plopping down on one end of the couch. “Come sit. It’s pretty comfortable.”

Zayn does sit at the other end of the couch, setting his laptop bag between them and chewing on his bottom lip.

“I came here one day after getting some hot chocolate, discovered this study room. If I’m not studying at the bakery, I’m usually here. It’s quiet and warm.” Niall glances at the laptop bag between them, then nudges it closer to Zayn as he says, “It’s pretty sound proof, too, so you can play music while doing whatever and not get in trouble for it.”

Zayn tried not to think about the small, windowless room being soundproof as he takes his laptop out of the bag. He usually doesn’t listen to music when he writes, mainly because he gets too distracted with singing the songs that are on. Sometimes he does play classical music, though, so he pulls up his Spotify after connecting to the Wi-Fi and clicks on the piano station he has saved specifically for when he’s writing.

Then, he pulls up the current chapter and takes out his notepad, setting that on the couch next to him. If Niall wants him to work in a calm, comfy place like this, then Zayn won’t protest. He glances at Niall a few times, who has his phone out but is already looking back, then focuses his eyes on the screen.

He picks up where he left off quite easily, head already immersed in the universe he’s created with these characters. He barely registers when Niall gets up and leaves, a few hundred words later, and is startled when the younger man comes back with two steaming cups and a paper bag that Zayn recognizes from the bakery.

Zayn is so close to finishing the chapter, which is amazing, but he figures he can take a small break. “How long were you gone for?” he asks after taking the cup that Niall gives to him.

“Well the bakery’s just down the street. It wasn’t that long.” Niall’s cheeks are red from the cold outside, and he’s smiling softly.

It’s Harry’s hot chocolate, of course, tinged with the sweet taste of his homemade marshmallows melting in the hot liquid. The smell of scones permeating the air has Zayn setting his laptop gently on the floor by his feet, before reaching for the bag. “Thanks,” he mumbles.

Niall smiles, still sipping at his own drink. He takes the first scone Zayn gets out of the bag, but there’s another in there for Zayn, so all is good. They eat and drink with soft piano playing in the background, and then they get to talking after they’ve finished. Zayn asks Niall about his classes he has to take as a business major; Niall asks Zayn how his writing is coming along. It’s nice, and they somehow shift on the couch until they’re sitting right next to each other, Niall’s foot under his thigh as he faces Zayn, elbow leaning on the back of the couch.

Zayn feels warm the whole time, a bit giddy, especially whenever Niall makes him laugh or vice versa. He should definitely finish writing, but Niall’s laugh is infectious and his uni stories are hilarious. The story can wait until later.

They manage to talk for another hour or so, and are only notified that the outside world exists when Harry asks Zayn how their library date is going over text.

Zayn is about to reply with, _it’s not a date_ , when Niall takes Zayn’s phone, saying, “Let me see.” Zayn hadn’t even realized Niall was reading over his shoulder, but apparently he was, and Zayn does the same thing. He bites his lip as he reads what Niall is texting, almost choking on his tongue when Niall sends, _great ! weve snogged twice now . in a library !!!_

“Niall,” he chastises as Niall hands his phone is back.

“What?” Niall replies, eyes wide like he genuinely doesn’t know what he did wrong. “I mean, you’ve an amazing jaw. A man can only hope, right?”

Zayn feels his eyes go even wider, jaw dropping a little. He flushes up to his eyebrows, eyes falling to his lap, bottom lip caught between his teeth. He’s received compliments on his jaw before, his “sharp cheekbones” and “plump lips” and “honey brown eyes”, as well. But none of those compare to Niall’s; his eyes are so earnest, face open, and lips quirked into a shy smile. The other compliments sounded practiced, rehearsed. Yet, with Niall, they are genuine and make Zayn’s stomach do little flips.

And Zayn wouldn’t mind kissing Niall back, either. He definitely wouldn’t mind at all.

After locking his phone and putting it away, Zayn picks his laptop up from the ground again, not daring to look up at Niall. Sure, Niall wants to kiss him too, but that doesn’t mean it’s going to happen. Not now, and especially not in a library. Zayn may have had a crush on Niall for a while now, but he still doesn’t know how comfortable he is with kissing him just yet.

He jumps slightly when Niall’s hand squeezes his shoulder, then slides over to rub the back of his neck. “Sorry,” he whispers, touches feather-light but soothing nonetheless. “For springing that on you.”

Zayn types a few words out then deletes them when he realizes they don’t make sense. He sighs, finally looking up and whispering back, “’S alright,” with a small smile. “Just a bit much right now, is all. I’ve got a lot on my mind, what with finally being able to write and everything.” It’s not a lie, which Zayn is quite proud of. He does have a lot going through his mind right now. Niall being at the forefront of his mind isn’t relevant at the moment.

“So… You don’t care? That I like you?” Niall slowly asks.

“Nah. I like you too,” Zayn confesses, feeling himself smile as his gaze drops back to his laptop screen. “But I refuse to kiss anyone in the library.”

Niall chuckles, squeezing the back of Zayn’s neck before settling back in the couch. “Fair enough,” he replies, and Zayn smiles as discreetly as he can at his laptop. “Let me know when you’re ready to head out of here. You down for pizza again? Or there’s a Chinese place not too far either.”

“Either is fine with me.”

-

It’s only a week later—seven days full of almost constant texting, a random late night call from a drunken Niall, and two coffee dates at the bakery—that Zayn and Niall do kiss.

Zayn spent two hours locked up in his room this morning writing, and he’s been in the library Niall introduced him to for the past hour or so. He managed to snag one of study rooms again, and it’s been him, his laptop, and his music. Like how it should be.

It’s when he takes a short break to check his phone that he sees a couple missed texts from Niall. The first asks if he’s busy, the second saying Niall got out of classes early and is free. They aren’t from too long ago thankfully—Zayn hates when he misses texts like this—and he answers back that he’s in the library but is in need of a break anyway.

 _Meet me at the bakery ?_ is what Niall sends back. Zayn confirms, then proceeds to pack his laptop and charger away. It’s only a minute before he’s walking down the sidewalk. Five minutes later he’s walking inside, greeting Liam behind the counter.

Niall isn’t here yet so he slips in the back. He isn’t at all surprised to see Louis and Harry making out against a counter. Not paying too much attention to the details, Zayn clears his throat, one eyebrow raised and lips quirked in a smug smile. “That’s not very sanitary,” he says after they break apart, startled.

Louis flips him off but he’s smiling, while Harry blushes down to his toes. “Shut up, Z,” Louis replies, pushing Harry against the counter again with his own smug smile. “We’re not baking anything. All is well.”

“Okay.” Zayn knows his unbelieving tone irritates both of them, but he smiles at them after placing his laptop bag on the clear counter next to them. “Can you watch this for me for a few hours?”

“Niall coming by?” Harry asks. They’re both still pressed against each other in a very inappropriate way, but it doesn’t bother Zayn at all. He’s used to it.

“Yeah,” he answers simply. Then with a quick ruffle to Harry’s long curls and a pinch to Louis’ bum, Zayn makes his way out to the lobby, yelling, “Don’t traumatize poor Liam, yeah?” over his shoulder.

Louis yells back, “No promises,” and when Zayn passes through the door, he sees Liam eyeing him.

“They’ve already traumatized me,” he says, but it’s with a fond smile. Then, his smile turns into something more snug and he points his thumb behind himself. “Niall’s waiting for you, by the way.”

Niall is waiting for him, standing on the other side of the counter with wide eyes and a big smile. “Zayn!” he crows, making the few customers sitting around look up briefly before losing interest and going back to their laptops and conversations.

“Hey Ni.” Zayn rounds the counter and comes to a stop in front of the Irish lad. “We staying here then?”

“Nah,” Niall says, waving goodbye to Liam as he drags Zayn to the door by his hand. Niall’s hand is warm and fits in Zayn’s wonderfully. He tries not to think about that too much as he follows easily. “M’brother let me borrow his old car for the evening, so we’re going on a trip,” Niall is explaining as they come to a stop in front of the oldest car Zayn’s probably ever seen.

It’s not old in years, more like miles. The paint has all rusted off, leaving a dark greyish-red color, the wheels are bald, and the leather seats inside are torn in several places. “The engine is new and the heater works great, I promise. Just some cosmetic issues, is all,” Niall reassures.

Zayn smiles, gesturing at the car. “Well. Let’s go then.”

Zayn should’ve guessed that Niall was a bit of a crazy driver. He speeds unless the street they’re on is busy, talks with one hand waving in the air and the other on the wheel, and gets more than a bit of road rage. It’s entertaining, most of the time, and Zayn finds himself chuckling along with Niall’s wild stories, unable to take his eyes off the boy.

They drive around pointlessly for a while, going through the heart of London and making fun of all the business suits rushing around after work, presumably to get something cheap and quick to eat before making it home. They stop at a little smoothie shop, only because Niall said that though it may be a health-nut place, they make mean banana strawberry smoothies.

It’s nice, driving around aimlessly in London. Zayn doesn’t think he’s done this since he was a teenager, fresh in uni and still trying to figure himself out. It’s been so long.

At one point they pass a skate park that Zayn used to go to all the time with a few other friends from uni—he reminds himself to shoot them some texts, ask how they’re doing since they’ve graduated—and Zayn has the sudden urge to pull out his skate board.

Which is at home.

“Alright?” Niall asks, slowing down. He must’ve asked Zayn a question because his eyebrow his raised.

“Yeah, sorry. Got a bit lost in my head. What were you saying?” Zayn casts one last look at the skate park as they finally pass it, then settles back and focuses his eyes on Niall.

Niall is quiet for a second, the car slowing even more as he glances back to Zayn a few times. “Just asked if you were hungry or not… That was a skate park, right? That you were staring at?”

Nodding, Zayn bites his lip, looking down at his fingers and picking his fingernails. “Yeah. Used to go there a lot, back in uni. I haven’t broken out my skateboard in so long.”

“D’you wanna go then? We can swing by yours if you want. Maybe stop for something to eat after.”

Niall’s offer is so tempting. Zayn’s ankle twitches from how much he’d like to be on a board right now. He’d love if Louis would join, hasn’t skated with him since long before he stopped skating in general. Maybe he can convince Louis and Harry to close shop early one day, or for a whole day, and he and Louis could skate around London while Harry pampers himself. Zayn remembers Gemma saying something about being back soon. She and Harry could probably have a spa day to themselves.

“Do you know how?” Zayn ends up asking. He wouldn’t want Niall to drive all the way back here from Zayn’s flat only to sit there and watch. That would be quite selfish of Zayn. “I could steal Lou’s board, if you want.”

“I dabbled a bit back home with my brother’s after he left,” Niall comments with a shrug and a light smile. “But never really picked it up again. I think it’d be fun to try though, as long as Louis doesn’t mind.”

“Nah. Lou won’t even notice it’s gone. He probably won’t be home for another hour or two and he never pays attention to anything other than Harry when they get home from a long day at the bakery.”

“Alright. Tell me where you live then.” After Zayn tells him to take the next left, Niall adds, “I can’t promise I won’t stalk you now, though. Or bring you greasy food all the time.”

Zayn’s smiling as he replies, “I won’t mind.”

An hour and a half later and Zayn and Niall find themselves flat on their backs on the grounds, boards rolling away, and both heaving with laughter. Zayn tries not to think about the fact that if he moves his fingers just a couple of centimetres, they’d be touching Niall’s. Instead, he turns his head to look at Niall, takes in the way his eyes crinkle and chest heaves as his laughing dies down.

“Y’gotta be more careful than that,” Zayn finally says, pushing himself up so he’s sitting, looking down at Niall still sprawled on the cold, hard ground. Zayn had been pulling Niall along, their fingers intertwined, when Niall freaked out about a rock and tried to swerve out of the way, only to knock both himself and Zayn onto the ground.

“Sorry, sorry.” Niall sits up too, looking to where their boards have rolled off to. They’re only a few feet away, and Niall rubs the back of his neck. His cheeks were already red from the cold, but they look even redder now. Zayn tried to not smile too hard at that. “Told you I haven’t done this in years. I’m just lucky nobody else is here at the moment.”

“Nobody else is here because it’s bloody freezing and you’re stupid enough to freeze your bollocks off out here just because of me.” After Niall is about to protest, Zayn cuts back in with a raised hand, “No, don’t say you’re not cold. You’re in a fucking hoodie. I can see you shivering right now. You should’ve just taken the extra coat I brought along. It’d make me feel less bad.”

Niall rolls his eyes, scooting closer, closer, until he’s pressed up against Zayn’s side, shoving himself under Zayn’s arm. “I’ll be fine, thank you very much. Just some tea after and maybe a hot meal and I’ll be good as new.”

As he pulls Niall closer and holds on to him tight, Zayn asks, “Is that your way of saying let’s get the fuck out of here?”

Zayn pushes some hair off of Niall’s forehead, and then Niall looks up at him, blue eyes sparkling in the moon that’s been slowly rising ever since they arrived. Their faces are so close, Zayn can feel Niall’s breath on his lips, warm. A shiver runs through his body, the cold from the cement ground seeping through his jeans. Niall keeps him warm, though, hair smelling like some sort of Axe shampoo, lips quirking into a smile.

“Maybe,” Niall says in a smug tone, before his eyes drop a couple times, always coming back up to Zayn’s.

Zayn feels his heart race faster, his own gaze falling to Niall’s lips, thin and pink and looking so inviting. They’re so close. And Zayn really wants to kiss Niall. His fingers tighten on Niall’s shoulder, and he watches as Niall’s eyes drop down after he bites his lip.

“Zayn,” he whispers, inching closer until their noses are touching in an eskimo kiss. Zayn hums, rubbing his nose softly against Niall’s until the man giggles—giggles, how fucking cute—and his hand drops to Zayn’s thigh right above his knee as his eyes close. “Really wanna kiss you,” mumbles Niall, squeezing Zayn’s leg and brushing their noses again.

Zayn closes his own eyes, feeling their breaths mingle to make the space between them warm. He contemplates on saying, “Then kiss me,” but opts out in favor of dipping his chin in and kissing Niall, just a soft peck at first that sends shivers through his body.

Niall presses forward right after Zayn pulls back, sealing their lips again. It’s close-mouthed again, but wonderful all the same, and Niall is a great kisser. He isn’t aggressive about it, just simply moves his mouth against Zayn’s like he’s known all along how Zayn likes to be kissed. It’s soft and sweet and calms Zayn’s nerves, going on for quite a few minutes, until the ground gets too cold for Zayn to bear anymore.

He jumps up, startling Niall and instantly feeling colder without him all close like before. “’M fucking freezing,” he explains as he helps Niall up, then walks over to grab the boards. “There’s a diner down from here that’s open all night and serves the best greasy food…”

“I’m definitely in.” Niall’s lips are red and maybe even a little swollen, his eyes still sparkling as his hand falls to the small of Zayn’s back, leading him to the car. Zayn puts the boards in the back seat, then hops in the passenger seat as fast as he can. Niall’s hand sneaks over and tangles through Zayn’s as he pulls out onto the street, humming along with the song softly playing as the heater blows hot in their faces.

“So where’s this supposed grease-filled place?” Niall’s asks, smiling over at Zayn and listening to the directions.

They seat themselves at a booth close to the heater, Niall pushing Zayn between himself and the wall as he sits on the same side. “What’s good here then?” he asks, opening his menu.

Zayn himself is getting the same exact thing he always used to get when he came here, and says so out loud. “I’d recommend the fry up or their pancakes are delicious too if you want sweet. Their coffee is alright but they have pretty good tea here, too, for a diner.”

Niall hums along, looking over the menu for a minute until a waiter comes up to them and asks what they want to drink. “I think I want a cappuccino to start with, and then probably just water after that. And then the fry up with a stack of pancakes on the side, please. And we’re on the same ticket.”

Zayn is about to protest but Niall holds a hand up, then motions for his menu. Sighing, Zayn orders his usual, “Coffee with two creamers, two slices of toast with grape jam, and a fruit bowl, extra blueberries, hold the strawberries, please.”

“I’ll be right back with your drinks.”

As soon as the waiter is out of earshot, Zayn turns to Niall to complain. “Niall, you’re in uni. You should be saving your money for yourself. Not spending it on me.”

“I also have a job at a bar right outside of campus and very supportive parents. Let me do this, okay?” His eyes are pleading, his hand dropping to Zayn’s thigh under the table as he leans in and peck the corner of Zayn’s mouth.

“Okay, fine,” Zayn sighs out, rolling his eyes but dropping his hand on top of Niall’s. “But I’m paying next time and every time after that, just for future reference.”

Niall rolls his eyes, his hand turning to it is facing up and their fingers lace together, and he says, “Not every time. That’s not how relationships work, you know.”

He says it like it’s obvious. And Zayn knows it’s obvious, too, that relationships are two-way streets. What he’s hung up on is the ‘relationship’ that was thrown out there. “Relationships?” he whispers.

Niall’s eyes go wide for a second, before he chuckles. “Friendships are relationships too.”

If Zayn didn’t already know that Niall likes him, he’d probably feel a certain sting in his gut right now. As it is, he smiles back, teasing, “So you date me then friend-zone me all in the matter of a minute. I see how it is.” He pulls his hand away and scoots closer to the wall for good measure, a smirk on his lips as he sees Niall realize.

“No, no no no,” he plays along, grabbing both of Zayn’s hands and almost crawling in his lap. He leans in to kiss Zayn, soft, and noses down to his neck right under his ear. “Definitely not friend-zoning you, I promise. I just meant that we’re still friends because I haven’t asked you to be my boyfriend yet.”

Again, Zayn smirks, holding Niall closer while replying, “Why do you get to be the one to ask?”

Niall is about to answer, Zayn can tell because he can feel Niall’s mouth open against his neck, when there’s a loud cough a few feet away. Their waiter is standing there with their drinks, saying, “Your food should be out shortly. Please don’t defile the table,” while setting their drinks down.

Niall chuckles as he moves a respectable distance away, hand slipping in Zayn’s on the small sliver of booth between them. “Wouldn’t dream of it,” he cheekily says as the waiter walks away, before drinking his cappuccino, eyeing Zayn over the top of his cup. “It doesn’t matter who asks who, what matters is that it happens.” He puts the mug down, then presses a kiss to Zayn’s shoulder. “I like you and I want to be with you, that’s all that matters at the end of the day.”

Zayn’s heart is fluttering, and he’s smiling so hard, indulging the urge to pull Niall in with his free hand and kiss the living daylights out of him—he keeps it short, though, aware of the teens in the corner and the small family only a few booths away, only licking over the seam of Niall’s lips twice before pulling away just enough to look him in the eyes. “Niall fucking Horan,” he starts, whispering, “Will you please be my boyfriend?”

Two months ago he would’ve said that even thinking about asking Niall to be his boyfriend would be the craziest thought in the world, let alone actually doing it. Yet, here he is, biting his lip as Niall answers with a big smile and a nod and then some more kisses. He hasn’t been in a relationship with someone in what feels like forever, but that doesn’t stop him from kissing back and feeling on top of the world.

He texts the group chat Harry, Louis, and Liam force him to stay in while the waiter is setting their food down and Niall is distracted, sending a bunch of exclamation points and heart-eye emojis, saying in all caps that he and Niall are together. He doesn’t even care about the crap and teasing Louis will most likely give him, or the unneeded but nice-all-the-same relationship advice from Harry.

All Zayn cares about is how happy he feels holding Niall’s hand like this and eating breakfast food at nine in the evening. He couldn’t ask for anything more.

Well. Maybe some homemade hot chocolate and a nice, warm fireplace, his laptop in his lap, and Niall tucked into his side. But that can wait until after they eat.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed. :) You can follow me on [Tumblr](http://harrystinyshorts.tumblr.com/) and [Twitter](https://twitter.com/jake__kat) if you'd like.
> 
> Xx


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